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Feb 9th, 2008 at 02:02:16 - Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GC) |
Gamplay
A major strategy in Mario Kart is slide turning. The triggers engage the sliding process then player then toggles the joystick to change the color of the sparks until the blue ones let you know to let go. The sliding capabilities within sliding allow a player to define their own driving style to help master each level.
The artificial intelligence in this game is also worth noting. Say two people are playing in an intense round of DK mountain. One of them is far ahead and the other far behind. The computer drivers will speed up and slow down respective to each character so that there is always competition. Four levels of difficulty give ample time for the willing player to get aquatinted with the television screen. This game has a flawless reward system and is challenging enough to keep playing for years.
Design
The variety of levels allows players to warm up on circuit loop tracks like Baby Park and work their way up to a harder level like Bowser’s Castle. They are all intricately designed to fit their respective themes. The level Dino Dino Jungle complicates gameplay with giant stomping dinosaurs, timed geysers, and precarious bridges. This game also has excellent gap crossing. In the level DK Mountain a giant cannon shoots each player to the top of the mountain which essentially starts the course. This “boost over the gap” aspect recurs in many other levels and allows for both glory and disaster.
The specialization of specials for different characters, while somewhat of a disadvantage for those who can’t choose their avatars fast enough, provides a specific advantage to which ever player can obtain the light characters. The toad characters can get the golden multiple boost whereas the bowser characters can slay everyone and themselves with the giant destructive Bowser shell.
The characters and their karts have simulated weights. The bigger characters go slower, but an experienced player can abuse them to their advantage by smashing other characters, though this doesn’t have a huge effect since this edition of Mario Kart eliminated spinning out and getting squashed, so one is better off getting the baby players. The different karts are a novel idea, but the reality is that everyone usually picks the toad kart because it is simply the best kart, despite numerous claims that the golden trophy kart is “statistically” the best kart in the game. Like most Mario Karts, Double Dash stands the test of time and quality.
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Feb 9th, 2008 at 02:00:50 - Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GC) |
Summary
Mario Kart Double Dash is a racing game wherein players drive as different Nintendo characters through levels of increasing difficulty. The main objective is to win first place in every race. By completing the game the player gains new characters and levels.
Gameplay
The concept of Mario Kart has been a staple in the diet of most Nintendo consumers. Double Dash, one of the newest Mario Kart games, was released on the gamecube. This game consumes my friends and I every time we play. This latest installment in the Mario Kart series picks up where it’s Nintendo 64 predecessor left off. The driving engine handles with more precision, and although the jumping has been lost, a more controller friendly drift/boost has been installed. With the addition of another character riding on the kart ( hence “double” dash) and the specialization of special attacks a much wider variety of gameplay can be experienced than in the previous games.
By beating many levels the player can gain new karts, characters, and levels. Though the easter eggs can only be cracked in single player, playing against real people is by far more fun. Often times the rounds are evenly matched down to the final stretch making for very intense gameplay. This game has the ability to engage players in a way that few other games possess.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 06:19:31 - Goldeneye 007 (N64) |
Gamplay
Stealth is a major component of completing Goldeneye. Unlike most first person shooters, Bond must complete many other secret agent activities that require more skill than simply running and pulling a trigger. The game has three levels of difficulty which provide incentive to keep playing the game even after you’ve beaten it once. Two extra levels can be unlocked by beating the game on the two harder difficulties. In addition, beating levels on certain difficulties within specific time limits can unlock cheat options.
Goldeneye is simple, yet challenging. It i takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. Even as an experienced player I sometimes find myself cornered by random grenades. To this day I have never fully completed the game on 00 difficulty. The fact that Goldeneye is still challenging all these years later only makes me respect it more.
Design
The numerous weapons in this game allow for almost endless strategies. Proximity mines go off when anyone gets close to them. Many experienced gamers use this function to their advantage by placing them in spawning locations. The sniper rifle has a scope which allows the user to zoom up on far away enemies. The golden gun kills someone in one shot, but it only shoots one bullet at a time. The sheer volume of different weapons almost assures a unique game every round.
All of the levels are designed exceptionally well by maintaining a relevant tone. For example the jungle level is crowded with plants just like a lush forest. The enemies within each level change with the tone as well. The color scheme in most of the levels is consistent, simple, and effective i.e. the floor is one color and the walls are another. The music is another high point of this game. The fast paced secret agent soundtrack is enough to get anyone who happens to be standing nearby excited.
The characters in this game look and act real . You can hold your gun up to a scientist and they will throw their hands up and shake in terror. The simulant’s reaction to a gunshot will depend on which area they are shot. For example, if one gets shot in the leg they will grab their leg and clutch it in pain. This level of sophistication in artificial intellegence had not been explored before Goldeneye, but surely has been a staple of every first person shooter since.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 06:19:12 - Goldeneye 007 (N64) |
Summary
Goldeneye 007 is a first person shooter game based off of the James Bond movie Goldeneye. By shooting many enemies and completing various mission objectives James Bond is able to stop the Goldeneye sattellite from destroying multiple cities.
Gameplay
I can remember my heart rate accelerating when I first played 007 Goldeneye as a child. It has been over a decade since the game’s release and yet I still find myself experiencing similar symptoms every time I play. It has been and still is one of my favorite games of all time. An hour goes by unnoticed and unintentionally every time I sit down to play. It has a hypnotizing quality that is deeply rooted in it’s overall quality as a game. Goldeneye set the bar for first person shooters in terms of graphics and general gameplay. What always astounds me about this game is the incredible attention to detail. Simple aspects like how the shine on the gun changes as you go past a light source, or how the music changes depending on where the player is in a level. Basing a video game off of a James Bond movie is by far the most genius element of this game. Most people already associate the term secret agent with James Bond, so who could possibly be a better video game hero? This game gives everyone the chance to be a secret agent.
This game is incredibly fun in both single and multiplayer, but it gained most of it’s popularity through multiplayer. Ultimately the goal is to kill your friends as many times as possible, though I’m not sure whether or not I should be disturbed by that concept. It’s never too long before people start screaming and yelling at each other during gameplay. I often wonder why people get so much pleasure out of “killing” each other. Perhaps what makes this game so successful is it’s incredible graphics and the idea that you can kill someone ten times and still be friends with them.
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RageoftheSage has been with GameLog for 16 years, 3 months, and 5 days |
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